Chuck Pagano’s mere presence coaching in practices this past week for the first time since he was forced to leave for leukemia treatments on Sept. 26 has been profound.
Today, when his Colts face the Texans in their regular-season finale in Indianapolis, Pagano will coach his first game since a Sept. 23 loss to the Jaguars. That is certain to be powerful.
Somewhat hidden in the triumphant Pagano’s return, though, is the way he plans on handling today’s game. Though the 10-5 Colts cannot alter their playoff seeding, Pagano has made it clear he intends to play to win.
This is a stark departure from the controversial way the Colts have handled similar situations in recent years — a welcome departure.
Colts fans recall 2009, when then-head coach Jim Caldwell mailed in the last two games of the regular season to rest players for the playoffs.
That Colts team was 14-0 with a chance at making history and becoming the first 19-0 team. But with the No. 1 postseason seed wrapped up, Caldwell opted to rest his starters, against most of their wills.
Caldwell sat Peyton Manning and other key starters in the third quarter of a close Week 16 game against the Jets, who went on to win the game and end the Colts’ undefeated season. The Colts lost the next week to the Bills, 30-7, and ended up losing in the Super Bowl a few weeks later.
Four years earlier, the Colts were 13-0 when head coach Tony Dungy took his foot off the accelerator. The Colts went on to lose two of their last three games and went one-and-done in the playoffs.
Pagano, one of the great fighters in the game based on what he has overcome this season, will have no part of laying back today. And his players love it.
“I think there is something to be said about keeping your momentum going, and I think it could be a positive thing,” defensive end Dwight Freeney told Indianapolis reporters. “I think guys who are banged up, they shouldn’t play. But I think that guys who can play, should play. Yeah, you’re risking getting hurt, but that’s just what it is. It’s part of the game.”
Freeney was on that 2009 Colts team that eschewed going for the undefeated season.
“Our fans deserve to see our best game regardless of the circumstances,’’ Pagano said. “They’re going to roll the ball out there, and our job is to win a ballgame and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to approach it just like we approached the first three and the way they approached the last 12.
“From Day 1, we set goals for ourselves, and after watching what this team has done over the course of the season, the last 12 weeks, it’s just not in our DNA [to let up].”
One thing Pagano, a head coach with a defensive background, is sure to try to fix quickly with the postseason a week away is his defense. The Colts are the only team that has clinched a playoff berth to yield more points (371) than it has scored (329).
In their only two games against AFC playoffs teams, the Colts allowed 59 points to the Patriots and 29 to the Texans, losing both games.
So maybe today, on the sideline for the first time in three months, Pagano can help create some momentum for his team as it enters the playoffs by playing to win the game against the Texans, the potential top seed in the conference.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com